Door for box-cars



IG. L. McCALLUM.

DOOR FOR BOX CARS.

APPLICATION FHFD FEB. 24; 1919. 1,373,516. Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

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G. L. NICCALLUM.

' DOOR FDR BOX CARS. APPLICATION FILED FEBIZI, I9I9.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

GEORGE LAWSON MCCALLUM, OF CROSBY, PENNSYLVANIA.

DOOR FOR BClX-GARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

Application led February 24, 1919. Serial No. 278,862.

To cil/Z lwho/m, t may concern:

Be it known that l, Gnonen Lawson Mo- C'ALLUM, a citizen of the United States, residin at Crosby, in the county of li' clean and 2tate oi' Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Door for Box-Cars, oi' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in doors for box cars, the object oi the invern tion being to provide a door which is specially adapted for cars carrying grain, by means of which the door-opening may be partly closed at the bottom, leaving the uppei` part open :for permitting access to the grain, and in which the door is securely locked both in open and closed positions.

A further object of the Vinvention is to provide a door ot this character formed oi a plurality of independently slidable sections, whereby soine or all of such sections may be slid into position to closethe door-V opening and each section provided with means for locking it in open or closed posi*` tion independently of all the other sections.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shield in which each of the sections of the door is adapted to slide and which not only acts as a guide for said section, but also sustains the pressure of the grain within the car so that the sections oi the door may be as easily operated when the car is loaded as when empty.

With these and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel teatures of construction and combination of parts, as will be clearly understood from the following description.

In the drawings accompanying and forining partei this specification,

Figure l is an elevation showingso much of the inner side of a box car as is neces sary to illustrate my improved door 4in position for closing the door-opening of the car, the two uppermost slides of the door being shown in dotted lines within their shields or casings;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing two of the slides partly withdrawn from the Vshields Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the rib formation on the side of the slides which lies next to the side of the car;

Fig. l is a longitudinal section of the slide shown in Fig. 3; and Y Y Fig. 5`is a sectionaldetail view showing the formation of the lower-most shield and its slide.

rlhe saine characters of reference desi@- nate the same parts in all the gures el tltie drawings. In the embodiment herein shown, my improved door is constructed of a plurality of sliding members which are adapted to close the opening of the door, and a plurality of shields within which said members are adapted to slide `for opening and closing the door, and as all of the slides and shields respectively, with exception of the lowermost one, are of similar construction, a description of one will suliice tor all of the shields and slides above said lowermost one.

I n the form `shown in the drawings, 2 designates the shields, which are adapted to be secured to the opposite sides of the dooropening 3 of the car, those at one side of said opening being located in staggered position relatively to those on the other side of such opening. The shields 2, the construction of which is` best shown in Fig. 2, are provided with ilanges 4 along the sides and inner ends thereof and extending at the outer end of the shield into a pair oit' laterally projecting ears 7, the ears of adjacent shields being adapted to abut against each other and forni spacing members therebetween. Through the-flanges 4l and the ears 7 are bored holes Eifer the passage of the screws by which the shields are secured to the side wall of the car. The shields and ianges may be made separately and secured together vin any suitable manner, or they may be made from one pieceof metal stamped or pressed up into the desired form. The shield is formed at its inner end with a depending portion 6 `forming a channel communicating with the interior of the shield, whereby any grain that may have been carried into the shield will be discharged, as will any dust or dirt that may have accumulated within the shield. `At the opposite or outer end, the shield 2 is provided with angular portions 8y extending laterally of said shield, but `shorter than the ears 7, thereby forming a space between the portions 8 of adjacent shields, as shown at 9, Fig. 2, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The outer`e`nd of the shield is also provided with a recess 10 and an eye member `11 back of said recess, this eye member being either formed integral with the shield or secured n thereto in any suitable manner. A similar l move relatively to each other, forms atight shields.

joint and affords added strength and rigidity to the door when closed, and, in addition,A as sists in guiding the slides when being opened or closed. rllhe slides are formed smooth on one side, as shown in Fig. 2, and on theopposite side with, longitudinally and 'trans versely extending ribs 16, as shown 1n I Tlg. 3, which ribs materially stiifen the vslides and consequently the door when closed. Each of the slides is provided at its inner end with a projecting lug 17, which serves to prevent complete withdrawal of the slide from theshield, a groove being formed in the side wall of the car for permitting this lug to slide back and forth, as shown in Fig. 5. At the outer end thereof the slide is provided with ahook 18 secured thereto by means of an eye member 19, which may be either formed on the slide or secured thereto in any suitable manner. The hooks herein shown are of a form similar to those used on harness hames and having a springpressed locking plunger which prevents the hook from becoming accidentally disengaged from the eye member to which it is adapted to be hooked.

It is believed that the operation of the Y slides and shields sofar described will be clear from the foregoing. When the slides are slid back within the` shields or casings 2, the members 19 carrying the hooks are located within the recesses 10 in the shields and the hooks 18 are turned backward and hooked into the eye members 11 on the When the slides are` withdrawn from the shields for closing the door-opening, the forward end of each slide projects beneath the forwardly projecting part of the angular portions 8 of two adjacent shields on the opposite side of the dooropening, while the eye member 19 carrying the hook 18 islocated within the recess 9 formed betweeny such angular portions, the side walls ofV such recess coaeting with the rear portion of the hook to lprevent the end ofthe slide frominovingup ordown. The hook is thenhooked into .the eye member 12 in the rear of such recess, whereby the slide vis positively locked against accidental displacement. V. l. -1

The formation of the lOWermOStYShieId,

as hereinbefore stated, is somewhat different from that of the others, said lowermost shield being shown in side elevation at the left of Fig. 1 and in section in Fig. 5. This shield, designated 20, is provided at its rear end and upper side with a flange simih lar to the flanges of the 'upper shields. The upper portion of the lfront end of this shield is also similar in form to the corresponding portions of the other shields, and it is provided with an eye member 11 in the saine manner as are all the other shields. The lower portion of the shield 20, however, is cut away, as shown at 21, so as to afford access to the interior of the shield when the slide is withdrawn therefrom, for the purpose of clearing away any grain or dirt that may have accumulated therein. The shield 2O is provided at several points along its lower edge with L-shaped projections 22 adapted to rest on the floor and each provided with a hole for the passage of a screw for securing said projections to the floor of the car. For the purpose of strengthening the shield, it is formed with a lengthwise extending rib 23 formed on its outer side, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. lThe slide cooperating with this shield is identical with those already described, and when within the shield its hook may be engaged with the eye member formed at the outer side of said shield, while, when itis withdrawn from the shield the forward end thereof engages beneath the lower forwardly projecting of the angular member 8 of theV shield next above and its hook is engaged with the eye member 12 carried on the door frame in the rear of said angular member. In the manufacture of the door described it is contemplated making three or more of the lower shields somewhat heavier than the upper o nes so as to be capable of sustaining the greater weight of` grain that necessarily bears against the lower shields.

It willL thus be seen that I have provided a door which is well adapted for the purpose rset forth, which is comparatively simple in 1. A door of the class described, comprising a plurality of slidable members, shields or casings mounted at opposite sides of a door opening, those atv one side being located in staggered relation to those at the opposite side, said shields being adapted to receive said slidable Ymembers,' and coperating means carried by said slidable members and shields for locking said members in dooropening position, the adjacent shields having flanges at their inner ends spaced apart to provide slots for receiving said coperating means carried by the slidable members.

2. A door oi the class described, comprising a plurality of slidable members adapted to close a door opening, shields or casings mounted at opposite sides of said door opening and adapted to receive said slidable members, cooperating 'means carried by said slidable members and shields for locking said members in door-opening position, and cooperating means carried by said slidable members and shields for preventing upward or downward shifting ot the slidable members when in door-closing position, the inner ends of the shields being ianged to receive the ends of opposed slidable members when in closed positions.

3. A door for box cars or the like comprising a plurality of slidable members, shields mounted at each side of the door opening` in horizontal parallel relation and in staggered relation to the shields on the opposite side of the door opening, said shields being elongated horizontally, said slidable members having coacting edge portions interrupting the direct line of continuity therebetween, said shields being provided with openings in their bottom portions adjacent their outer ends, and fastening mem- `bers upon and between the shields and close to the sides of the door opening, and means upon the free end portions of the slidable members for engaging the fastening members on the shields of said slidable members to hold the slidable members in open position and for engaging the fastening members between the shields at the opposite side of the door for holding the slidable members in closed position across the door opening.

4L. A door of the class described comprising guide casings secured in staggered relation at opposite sides of a doorway, said casings having means for attaching the same and provided with recessed ianges at their inner ends, door sections slidably received in said casings and provided with co-acting tongue and grooved upper and lower edges, said sections having longitudinal reinforcing ribs, means carried by the sections and support for the casings to limit the movements of the sections in the casings, and cooperating means carried by said cas ings, sections and support for securely hold ing said sections in position to open or close said doorway. v

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signa ture in the resence of two witnesses.

GEOR E LAWSON MGCALLUM. Witnesses:

GEORGE A. DENNING, THOMAS J. MoDnRMoTT. 

